Posts filed under 'Work'
I grew up in the school of “if it’s a good joke, it’s worth repeating”. I suspect that, separate from this, I am genetically predisposed to like puns, which are a form of repetition in a way, causing you to think about what you’re already familiar with. But the upshot is, I’m all too good at telling people something again…or yet again…because I think it’s worth a mention.
So here’s today’s moment: managed to leave work early, and include a quick visit to RealFoods. I’m about to go in, and smell the familiar health food shop smell…and think, ah that reminds me of the health food shop I briefly worked in…and then remember that I’ve already written about it…
Now admittedly, I’m not visiting the shop all the time, having that scent-memory, boring you with the recollection etc, on a regular basis. But I do forget what I’ve said to whom, or what I’ve written. And the more I think it’s worth passing on, probably all the more likely I am to keep telling the story.
Catching myself at it again tonight, I felt a bit like the goldfish with the 10 second memory. I don’t want to write a string of blog posts that add up to “Nice bowl! Nice bowl! Nice…” And I also know that I get to see plenty of new things, because my brain takes in the fact that they’re new.
Every year I deal with applications from people who have hobbies I’ve never heard of before (underwater hockey, anyone?), health conditions I’ve never come across. And they go off abroad and email with situations I’ve never had to come up with a solution to before. That’s all before I spot things on buses, or open the paper to find out about the latest whatnot we’re all supposed to be interested in.
Blogs are partly about novelty, I guess. You don’t expect to see the same story cut and pasted in, day after day. Perhaps what I’m aspiring to is columnist status, where you can actively get away with repeating yourself, or mentioning particular people, because your readership has got to know them too, through you, and wants the latest installment.
Probably one of the main reasons I write a blog is because I love ideas, I love the variety in the world, I love seeing whether someone else has come across the same, and what they think about it. And some of you even tell me, too…
Some of the nicest thoughts are like the first strawberry of the year. (Yes, I have a conscious awareness of the first strawberry of the year, and a first mince pie too, bracketing the year.) You’d never claim that it was the first ever. But the ‘first for a while…and good!’ is worth a shout about, don’t you think?
November 21st, 2008
…Post-it note?
But of course there is. A free pen. A free cotton bag. A free jute carbon neutral bag. In fact, a free policy booklet that you hadn’t planned on reading in the first place.
Despite Scotland’s happy insistence on state schooling for the majority of its pupils, there’s clearly no such thing as a free education either, if you’re running an exhibition stand. I was struck by the number of IT exhibitors whose products started at a couple of grand upwards. Struck equally by the teachers I spoke to who were enjoying the seminars and the buzz, but had no money really available to spend on their department.
Having just come back from two days on an exhibition stand, at a Scottish schools event, one thing that struck me particularly was the waste that comes with a large exhibition. I was heartened by seeing one company retrieve their quantities of bubble wrap, and rewrap the materials they brought, but they did seem to be an exception.
The talk, however, was free - and teachers enjoy a good talk, so there was plenty of chatting. After two seminars with very low numbers, I was pleased to be in one where a teacher name checked half a dozen opportunities my organisation offers, AND got that response we all long for: the immediate “Wow, how can I get some of that?” That’s the kind of response, from speaker and audience, that you can’t buy.
Thankfully, smiling is free. Encouraging teachers in celebrating their successes. But I discovered that saying thank you to the organisers, when leaving, was in fact priceless - one person in the site office commented “No one ever stops to say thank you…”
Results: one heart at ease; one pair of feet waiting to be freed from their shoes.
September 25th, 2008
Hurrah for a half day on my birthday! I left early today so that I could fulfil a small ambition of mine, and browse the shops on Broughton Street on the way home.
Now Broughton Street may be known for various things, but I’d suggest, increasingly, food. It has the long-established RealFoods at the top, which does health food and much more, but also some brand new places that have opened up in the last few months.
So, started with RealFoods. They are doing all the Gillian McKeith type stuff - lots of alternative grains and so on - but the shop must be a godsend to anyone with food allergies. You name it as an alternative flour, they have it, plus masses of oriental ingredients, along with all the dried fruit, muesli to scoop out of a sack, and so on. I came away with linseeds, and ful medames beans - the latter are very popular in Egypt, so I’ve read, and there’s a recipe I’ve been meaning to try with them.
Broughton Street also has Crombie’s, the high class butcher, well known for its sausages. I decided to play fairly safe, and came away with some very smart beefburgers, which should be good to try.
I missed out the fishmonger at the top of the street, also long established - Something Fishy. I thought it might take too long to finish my shopping and head home, by which point the fish might be complaining a bit. But it is an aim of mine to try proper butchers and fishmongers this year, so I can see what the difference is between supermarket stuff and the specialists.
So, now, to the two new arrivals. Artisanal coffee, chocolate and honey can be had in a fairly new shop that also sells takeaway coffee. Their owner only sells the coffee beans that he likes, but will happily recommend and let you sniff them to see which you like. I made off with some Sumatran coffee which I think is meant to be his favourite. My bag certainly smelt wonderful all the way home.
The other newcomer is a shop selling all the things you might need for cocktails. Again, its owner is chatty, and knowledgeable. He didn’t seem put off by me saying I wasn’t too good with drinking spirits, but told me more about fruit syrups, and so on. He also has glasses and all the other kit for making cocktails. I am hoping he will stock some fruit purees so I can finally try a Bellini (prosecco and white peach pulp).
I didn’t go around explaining it was my birthday - thought that might be a bit obvious - but it was nice to have time to browse, and equally to chat with the shopowners. Certainly RealFoods has so many different lines of stock that you need a good forty minutes just to look round and see what they have.
I should add that it’s been a happily foody morning too - my colleague who does her own bean sprouts, and has been coaching me with my first attempts, gave me some mung beans to try sprouting. My manager found a couple of mini bars of dark chocolate to slip inside my birthday card. And the piece de resistance was battenburg cake, brought in or for another newer colleague who shares the same birthday. (Can’t resist marzipan and cake combined.)
Meanwhile, it’s now about time for a cup of tea. Nice thing about birthdays - the everyday pleasures as well as the special treats.
January 23rd, 2008
Strange feeling, giving away work. Delightful too. I’d been anticipating for a little while being able to pass on the Ireland programme I work on - today I got to write that ‘introducing my new colleague’ email.
In some ways, you kind of feel you could have written it any time. It’s a bit like the feeling when the day comes round to get on a particular plane to a long-booked destination. You could have done it earlier, or any day, in some ways - but the point when it finally happens seems ever so ordinary. (Maybe that’s just my experience with flights. Every year I seem to take longer and longer to believe I’m finally on holiday.)
It’s been a nice programme to work on, encouraging schools in Ireland to link with schools in Scotland. But as I’ve been running it on my own, from the Scotland side at any rate, it can be a bit of an anti-climax. No one to commemorate it with you. On the up side, the colleague taking it on also works with me on with students, so I’ll no doubt keep up with bits of what’s happening.
I’ve been aware for some time of how much my work relies on emails to make things happen. With an email I…confirm someone can go abroad, make their day with the placement they longed for, or equally confirm that they can’t have their heart’s desire but they can still go somewhere worthwhile. It’s simultaneously powerful and very ordinary.
Today I used an email to cut my workload. It would be nice to try a different one tomorrow to give me a payrise…but there’s probably only so much power you can wield at a time.
January 14th, 2008
Just when you thought you’d finally done with leaving dos…another one! Our great PA to the Director and Depute Director is moving on, but her excellent skills meant that she thought to invite some former colleagues to the pub with the rest of us this evening.
The one upside of having people leave is getting a bit more social time with people outside the office. There was a good crowd along to support - and what with it being the end of the first main week back, a certain interest in restoring ourselves, whether with a pint or fine conversation.
I made an effort…I did talk to one or two newer people. But often enough, things like this also give you the chance to have a half-decent chat with people who work in the same office, but whom you don’t see very often. Open plan environment is one thing, group of people all with lots to glue them to their computers is another.
Also really nice to chat more with a colleague who’s now working elsewhere. With lots of new people joining us fairly recently, it is also good to chat to someone who already knows you, and where you can find out what’s happened next in their lives - as well as the opportunity for some joint reminiscences about other colleagues who have also moved away.
Will I up my pub activity this year? Let’s see. With a return of Tattie Fridays (people heading off to get baked potatoes on a Friday lunchtime), as ever, the office does great things for company but less useful ones for your waistline…If I want the people time, I’ll have to choose between hot or cold carbohydrates, it seems.
January 11th, 2008
An opportunity to rib one of my colleagues about a misspelling in a recent email. Trying to indicate a street near our office as our meeting point in case of fire, he alerted everyone to meet at ‘Gentile’s Entry’. (Edinburgh residents can work out the original version.)
For a cultural organisation, you could argue this was a problematic choice: where are our Jewish, and any other faith, visitors meant to go? But I had the opportunity to hear a more regular mis-pronunciation the same day, heading up the close that leads up to the Royal Mile. A tourist stopped me and asked for ‘Princess Street’.
‘Princes’ is not used in so many place names, I’ll grant you, which I think is why ‘Princess’ seems to be said by various visitors to Edinburgh. It made me think that there are probably not so many mispronunciations that give you another word instead of your original choice.
Dan and another friend who grew up in London used to come up with alternative pronuncations for London areas. ‘Streatham’ became ‘St Reathams’, and so on. Dan equally was very pleased a few years back to hear me saying ‘An-tig-u-a’ for another Edinburgh street name, rather than ‘An-teeg-wa’. I had to make the joke against myself for a long time to stop that one being repeated back at me.
My brother came up with two of my favourite mishearings of place names. When a school friend got into an Oxford college (Somerville), he managed to understand that she had got a job at the then local supermarket (Somerfields). Equally, when I got the news of where I was going to be during my gap year teaching (Warsaw), he thought I would be just up the road, so to speak (Walsall).
New housing estates breed rather odd names (Edinburgh will currently offer you Q, The Visio, along with the lovely East Pilton Farm Rigg - try saying that to your taxi driver after a hard night out). I can’t help but think they’re missing out on some great mispronunciations to come.
January 10th, 2008
Well, Christmas party completed. And no, I didn’t really manage to talk to any new people…so now having an away day to do the job seems the only way to fix it. (There are around 20 of them, and I have got to know around 8 of them, so I don’t feel too bad.)
Being rather shy at parties, I was rescued by a more convivial colleague who soon roped me in to assisting her with selling raffle tickets. It does mean you can keep your head down, write names on the back of tickets, and not worry about the appropriate thing to say next…
Despite the party not doing the ‘new colleague’ bit for me, what it did allow for was some catch up time with people I do know. Nice to sit with some who’ve been around for a year or more, and who I have some background with. Because being in the same office as someone, even when there’s only 60 of you, is no guarantee of talking to them, let alone keeping up with the ones you consider as good friends.
I also attempted to master a pashmina…Yes, even more out of date than my mobile phone blog recently. But thankfully there are more glamorous colleagues who are prepared to lend you a pretty scarf for an evening, and even tell you how to wear it. And with wall to wall little black dresses, I even felt appropriately dressed when it became too warm to keep the pashmina on.
Best of all, we raised over £300 for Maggie’s Centre in Edinburgh, and the atmosphere of the raffle kept everyone going, and in a good mood. I even discovered a new second career as a maker of impromptu raffle tickets when both books of proper tickets were used up…
December 14th, 2007
This should properly be tagged as both home and out and about, since I’m at home, and Dan’s out at the cinema with friends from our church small group.
Arrangements to get together tonight got a bit complicated, and in the end, I stayed put. Have been feeling a little guilty at how much I’ve enjoyed having the flat to myself…A few Christmas cards, a first attempt at some Christmassy music this year, followed by taking myself off to the bath to do some useful preening prior to tomorrow’s work Christmas do.
Back when Dan ran his business from home, I used to joke that the flat was more his than mine…but he was there almost all the time. This week, he probably feels like he’s been here all the time, given further visits from the heating Man (or rather Men - different ones at different times). Fingers crossed that it gets finally fixed tomorrow!
Meanwhile, despite some hiccups with it tonight, managed to get heat (and therefore hot water) on for most of the night, which allowed me to have a nice long bath and catch up on Saturday’s magazine from the Times. Interesting mini article on what they call microtrends. You can evidently get patterns off the Internet to knit your own beard - there are Bee Gee style full pokey out beards. However, this is the opposite of bathroom preening really, although the attempted knitting circle at work might be interested…
Even though the business is now away from home, it’s still fairly rare for me to have the flat to myself. So unlike Macauley Culkin, I am too pleased with a nice hot bath to be worrying about fending off inept house burglars. Perhaps the advent calendar will distract them, should it be needed.
With two days to go, and the prospect of a longer chunk of time off work, slowly realising that I can also have the flat to myself for much of next week, while Dan is still at work. Had a similar set up last year, although I was still writing essays for the counselling course as much as I could…This year is probably more of the Grand Tidy Up, but I think we’ll build in some fun stuff too.
Even though I have the prospect of travelling less, now we have more staff at work on the same activities as me, I’m still the one of the two of us who tends to be away with work. Sometimes just day trips, sometimes overnight. Was away last Friday, stayed on an extra day. Often it’s good for us, Dan and I. We enjoy being together more once we’re back together - without it being of the same epic proportions of months apart when we were engaged and I was working in Poland.
As a result, it is still a treat for me to be at home. I’m sure this annoys some of my friends who are at home all day every day with kids, and would like a quick escape without them now and then, let alone a night away on their own. Maybe I’ll get to this point some time. I wouldn’t quite go the full IKEA, but yes, home is a really important place for me.
And a good dose of it should help me muster up the courage to face a party tomorrow…less familiar territory, but hopefully a good end to the working year.
December 12th, 2007
It’s a quote isn’t it? Can’t remember where from. But Dan was kind enough to lend me his iPod when I had a work trip to London at the end of last week. This meant that I had the option of watching the scenery roll by while listening to whatever I fancied.
Now Dan and I quite like soundtracks to films. Like lots of other music too, but have a soft spot for a soundtrack of a film we’ve enjoyed. Probably the top one on the list would be “Sneakers”, one that Dan got me into, with Wynton Marsalis adding to a sense of excitement and espionage.
The thing about listening to a soundtrack while on the move is that you feel like you are becoming part of the film. Or, perhaps even better, starring in a film of your own. One that uses a soundtrack related to Paris (”Amelie”, since you ask) with a backdrop of London. As I was going to a work meeting relating to languages, this was probably a reasonably good match.
Funny how good a bit of good music can be to help one’s mood. Going to a work meeting in another city, you can be a bit concerned about arriving on time, and something peaceful in the earphones helps in this way. And when a meeting has lasted a bit longer, had a few things you weren’t expecting, and so on, same peaceful music on the way home is also no bad thing…
December 9th, 2007
Who’s heard this one: ‘leave something for Mr Manners’?
Despite my mention of useful Men earlier in the week, this is not he. But I was reminded of this saying at work today, seeing the ‘polite’ remainders that people leave behind.
We’re a very foody office. Although our work has a great Cause, people view it in lots of different ways, and food is one thing that actually draws us together. Add to that people going on work trips/holiday to various interesting places, leftovers from events, and you get a sense of a lot of surveying of food that appears in the office.
Fairly consistently, though, no one seems able to take the final piece of something. This means that you can leave even a large piece of packaging with one tiny bit left, and this excuses you from doing any further tidying up. Today, it reached greater proportions than usual - at one point, the piece left over was half a fruit danish pastry. I ignored it, and had my bowl of soup. When I looked round again, someone had taken the pastry, but left the decorative grape…
I’m aware that in other cultures, if you do finish everything, it suggests you want more, or even that you are not satisfied with something. I’m also aware that we have a small kitchen for c. 60 people, and leaving bits of wrappings about doesn’t leave much space to get your lunch out of the fridge, as well as looking a bit grungy after a while.
So, Mr Manners. I ate your grape. I am the one who throws away your empty packets. But I also put on new pots of coffee, clean worksurfaces and do other socially contributional things. I may upset the food status quo. But I do create space for people to put something new down…and start the whole process again.
December 5th, 2007
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